Sandusky’s Penn State sex abuse case heads to trial

LEGAL TACTIC:Prosecutors expressed surprise at Jerry Sandusky’s request to waive a hearing, while the decision has prompted speculation he may be seeking a plea deal

Reuters, BELLEFONTE, PENNSYLVANIA

Former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky on Tuesday abruptly waived his right to a preliminary hearing on child sex abuse charges, delaying by several months the first public testimony from his accusers.

Sandusky, 67, has maintained his innocence on 52 charges of molesting 10 boys over more than a decade.

“We are not in any way conceding guilt. Today’s decision was a tactical measure,” Joe Amendola, Sandusky’s defense attorney, told reporters outside the courtroom.

The waiver was the latest twist in a scandal that shook the prestigious university in central Pennsylvania and prompted a string of investigations into how football culture at Penn State might have contributed to the scandal and its fallout.

The case will now head to trial, but the date could be set for months or even more than a year away.

Even as the courtroom drama was unfolding, a US Senate subcommittee prepared to hold a hearing on whether to tighten requirements on reporting child abuse.

Sandusky also waived a Jan. 11 arraignment hearing where charges against him would have been read. The next procedural hearing in the case will be on March 22 next year, the court Web site said. Tuesday’s hearing had been expected to determine whether there was enough evidence to bring Sandusky for trial.

“The decision is surprising,” Pennsylvania Deputy Attorney General Marc Costanzo said of Sandusky’s waiving the hearing.

Costanzo said that prosecutors had 11 witnesses — including some alleged victims — ready to testify that Sandusky was a serial child sex abuser.

Sandusky’s decision immediately prompted speculation that he may seek a deal to plead guilty in return for a reduced prison sentence.

“I think the chances are really good” of a plea bargain, said Slade McLaughlin, a lawyer representing an unidentified man listed in court documents as Victim One, whom Sandusky is alleged to have abused more than 20 times in 2007 and 2008.

However, Costanzo said there is no talk of such a deal at this point.

Sandusky, his attorneys and prosecutors made a brief, but dramatic appearance in the packed courtroom where gasps were heard when the judge announced the waiver.

Sandusky, in a dark suit, was led out of the back of the courthouse in handcuffs and paused to address reporters.

“We fully intend to put together the best possible defense that we can do, to stay the course, to fight for four quarters ... We want the opportunity to present our side,” Sandusky said using a football metaphor as he emerged from court.

Costanzo said the waiver “helps the prosecution in a lot of ways” and that Sandusky’s alleged victims would avoid having to testify twice in the case.

The attorney for the boy identified in court documents as Victim Six said Sandusky’s legal strategy left him with mixed emotions.

“I would have liked these boys to have the opportunity to tell their story so the public would have had the benefit of assessing those boys and that they are giving testimony from their hearts,” attorney Howard Janet said.

Sandusky is the focus of a wide-ranging investigation of alleged child sex abuse over a 15-year period. The original charges were outlined in a 23-page grand jury report early last month, and additional charges have been filed.

Two former university officials have also been charged in an alleged cover-up of Sandusky’s activities and have professed their innocence.